Slat assembling device



Nov. 8, 1938. w, D AWSHE 2,135,755

SLAT ASSEMBLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet l L (a; l

ENTOR. WflLTE/z D. LRIIIIVIZSHE A TTORNEYS.

INVENTOR. WALTER D.l.flW$/I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

W. D. LAWSHE SLA'I ASSEMBLING DEVICE Filed Feb. 8, 1937 Nov. 8, 1938.

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 it I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SLAT ASSEMBLING DEVICE Walter D. Lawshe, Seattle, Wash., assignor to I. F. Laucks, Inc., Seattle, Wash., a corporation of Washington Application February 8, 1937, Serial No. 124,589

Claims. (Cl. 144-245) This invention relates to a slat assembling invention to provide means of a mechanical nameans for use in connection with the manufacture whereby the thin wooden slats, as used in turing of light weight crates or boxes. More parthe manufacture of the box or crate sections, ticularly, it has reference to a means whereby may be readily and rapidly assembled on a table 5 thin wooden slats or the like may be extracted or plate in accurate spacing, and in accurate end i 5 successively from the lower end of a storage hopalignment ready for placement of the connecting per, and deposited evenly and in spaced, parallel cleats across their ends. relation on an assembly table for ready assem- More specifically stated, the present invention bly with and attachment to cleats or rails, which resides in the provision of an assembly slide in completes the section or panel ready for use as a the form of a fiat plate or table, that is adapted 10 wall of a crate or box. to be moved along a guideway and to be passed Explanatory to the present invention, it will directly beneath the lower end of a hopper in here be stated that in present-day industry which the thin slats are contained in stacked remany crates of a certain kind, for which the lation, and upon which table extractor studs or present device is intended, are used for the packthe like are arranged to successively engage and i5 ing and shipping of goods or merchanidse. Such extract the slats from the lower end of the hopcrates must necessarily be light in weight, yet per as the slide is advanced beneath it, thereby durable in construction. A satisfactory crate, to locate the slats in a desired parallel relationnow extensively used, is one in which the walls ship, and in a desired spacing on the plate that are made up of thin wooden slats that are armay be varied in accordance with the spacing 20 ranged in parallel relation, and more or less of the extractor devices on the table.

spaced apart, and secured at their opposite ends It is also an object of this invention to so arto cross cleats whereby the wall section is unirange the studs or extractor devices that they fled. The various sections of a box or crate are may be utilized as aligning stops for the assemfitted together and are united in such manner bly of the side cleats with the slats, thus to aid as to form a crate or box of the desired strength. in obtaining that accuracy in the placement of The mode of connecting the slats of the walls to the cleats which is necessary avoid e untheir respective cleats may be either by stitchevenness that is detrimental to the final accuing, nailing or gluing, and the wall sections likerate assembly of sections of a box or crate.

wise may be united in various ways, but in the In accomplishing the above and other objects 30 present instance, it is anticipated that the slats of the invention, I have provided the improved will be joined to their cleats by gluing, and that details of construction, the preferred forms of the box sections or walls shall be nailed together 'which are illustrated in the accompanying drawand may also be reinforced by straps or bindings whereining wires. However, the mode of connection is Fig. 1 is a side view of a slat assembling ma- .35 of no particular import in the present invention. chine embodying the present invention, showing It will also be explained that, heretofore, it the slide table in position in the guideway ready has been comon practice in the manufacture to be advanced beneath the slat hopp of crates or boxes of this character to lay the Fig. 2 is a plan view of the device with the 4,0 slats in place by hand, then to lay the cross cleats parts in position illustrated in Fig. 1. 40

in place thereon by hand, and finally to place the Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating the depositing assembled slats and cleats in a stitcher or nailof the slats on the slide table incident to the lating machine, or even to apply glue to the parts ter being advanced from right to left beneath by hand methods to attach them together. This the hopper. previous method of assembly which was done Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the slats .45

substantially in its entirety by hand operation, arranged upon the slide table, and the cleats apis comparatively slow, and the spacing of the plied across the ends of the slats ready for their slats on the cleats, when done by eye, may be, being placed under pressure, if glued, or for and generally is, uneven, and is unsightly in a stitching.

finished crate. Also, it is undesirable by reason Fig. 5 is an enlarged, cross sectional view on 50 of causing an unevenness which makes a final the line 55 in Fig. 3, particularly illustrating accurate assembly of the sections difficult. the construction of the lower end of the hopper In view of the above and other objectionable and the extraction of a slat therefrom. features that are incident to manual assembly of Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view onthe line 6-6 the slats and cleats, it has been an object of this in Fig. 5. I ,55

Fig. 'l is a horizontal section taken on the line 1-1 in Fig. 5, particularly illustrating the hopper construction.

Referring more in detail to the drawings: The present device, in a preferred form of construction, comprises a guideway comprising two horizontal and parallel rails l and 2, connected across their opposite ends, respectively by bars 8 and 4, and thereby held in a definite spaced relation. These two spaced rails are in the same horizontal plane and together form a trackway along which a slide table I is movable. The slide table i is of rectangular form and preferably would comprise a plate of wood, or other suitable material, and of a length sufficient that the desired number of slats for a box section could be assembled thereon, and its width would be such as to overlap the rails i and 2 for sup port thereon. At the trailing end of the table, considering its movement for the assembly of slats thereon, there is a bar 6 fixed transversely thereon. This may be used as a hand hold for movement of the table beneath the hopper, but

primarily it is intended to be used in the alining of l the ends of the cleats as will be presently explained. Also, along the leading edge of the slide table is a bar C, fixed upon the table to act as a retainer for the first slat to be extracted from the hopper ii. It should be noted that this bar is lower, or thinner than the studs 25. etc., and also thinner than the slats themselves, and that it tapers forwardly to edge at the edge of the slide table 5. This provides a retainer bar, which of necessity is such height that it will not extract a slat from hopper ii, nor in any way interfere with their extraction. In order that the table may be guided accurately in its travel along the guideway, it is provided on its under side with guide ribs ill and I These fit between the rails I and 2 and hold the table accurately in alinement on the track during its movement.

Located about mid-way between the opposite ends of the track and supported on the rails I and 2, is a hopper for the slats. This hopper is designated in its entirety, by reference numeral ii, and the wooden slats which are contained in stacked relation therein are designated by numeral i2, and these slats would fit the hopper with a looseness that permits easy vertical movement but no appreciable misalinement laterally.

The hopper, as here illustrated, comprises the forward corner angle posts l3 and II at 0pposite sides of the hopper, and supporting guidesor posts N-H' at the rearward opposite corners. The posts l3--il' are Joined across their upper ends by a connecting bar I3A, and at their lower ends are fixed upon a vertically swinging frame comprising opposite side rails l5 and I5. These rails are disposed substantially horizontally and transversely alined relative to the guideway, and somewhat above the level of rails l and 2. Also, corresponding ends are equipped with supporting plates is which are pivotaily secured by pivots II, respectively, to' the rails l and 2, as shown best in Figs. 1 and 2; the pivot points being in transverse alignment with respect to the guideway and support those ends of the rails lS-li' which are at the side of the hopper from which the slide table enters. This frame is supported at the swinging ends of these rails by means of set screws it which are threaded through the rail ends and extended into supporting contact with brackets i9 fixed to the rails i and I. At the lower end of the hopper, opposite ends of the stack of slats rest upon short shelves 2|. These are located in the extreme corners of the hopper, as shown best in Figs. 5

and 7. These shelves each comprises a short fiat plate that is secured flatly to the under side of its rails II and II by bolts 24.

It will be observed also, by reference to Fig. 5 that the forward walls of the angle corner posts |s |s,' are cut away, as at 28, to permit the lowermost slat of the stackto be pushed out, but to retain all upper slats. Also, it is to be understood that, by supporting the lower slat only at its corners, any warped condition of this lower slat will be less apt to aifect the position of the upper slats, and will overcome, to a maximum extent, any difficulty of extraction by jamming.

As the slide table I is advanced through beneath the hopper, yieldable fingers 2i--2i' fixed to the angle corner posts by bolts 22-42 operate to firmly hold the slats l2 down against any tendency. due to a warped condition in the slats, to free themselves from the studs 28-26, etc.

The spacing of the lower end of the stack above the trackwaymay be accurately regulated by an adjustment of the two supporting screws ll.

Fixed in the slide table top to extend above its top surface, as observed in Fig. l, are paired studs, as designated at 25-25, 26-48, 21-41, etc., and the studs of each pair are in alignment transversely of the table and the pairs are spaced definitely apart a distance slightly greater than the width of the slats so as to provide for a desired spacing of the slats.

Mounted on the pivoted rails l6i5', at the inside thereof and near hopper Ii, are rollers 80. These are so arranged that while the slide table is being advanced from the position of Fig. 2 to that of Fig. 3, they will roll upon the opposite side edge portions of the table 5 and will lift the hopper to the proper elevation for extraction of the slats. By provision of the pivoted support for the hopper and the contact with the table by rollers 30, the problem of using tables of different thicknesses is overcome, and the hopper automatically adjusts itself to the proper position merely by pushingthe table beneath it; it being understood, of course, that the set screws I8 are adjusted to permit the hopper to assume a position that will take care of tables of the minimum thickness that are ordinarily used. It will also be observed that a pair of table supporting rollers 3I--3i' are mounted on the rails i and 2 to retain the table from too much frictional contact with the rails while passing beneath the hopper.

Assuming the device to be so constructed, and assuming also that the table is in the position shown in Fig. 2: The operator stands at the righthand end of the machine, grasps the table by the bar end 8 and pushes it forwardly and beneath the hopper though to a position at the left-hand end of the frame. In passing beneath the hopper, the table engages rollers 30 and lifts the hopper to the proper elevation, and in succession, the pairs of studs engage the lower slats in the hopper, and, as each slat is extracted, the stack drops down in position so that the next pair of studs may engage a slat. Thus, as the table is advanced beneath the hopper, the slats are extracted therefrom and are alined on the table in the manner illustrated in Fig. 3. After the table has been pushed through to the left-hand end of the machine, the operator then places the end cleats -35 in position across the slat ends, as illustrated in Fig. 4. To aid in the alinement of these cleats so as to form a panel, or wall, of 7s a definite width, ends of the cleats are placed against notched-in shoulders 36, formed in the end bar 6, and are also placed with inner edges against the studs at the extreme end of the table 3:, for example, the studs 25-45 at one end and the studs a :1: at the other end. It will be noted that the studs 25-25 and also the studs :ca: are set out slightly from the studs therebetween in slide table 5, to act not only as means for extracting the slats 82 from the hopper Ii, but also to serve as positioning means for cleats 35 in accurate parallel alignment. Thus, by engaging the shoulders, these rails are brought accurately into end alignment and the opposite end studs insure their accurate, parallel position.

It will be explained here that prior to the placement of the end cleats upon the slats, glue is applied to the cleats on the under surfaces. Then, after they have been placed in position as shown in Fig. 4, the operator inverts the table while holding the slats and cleats tightly in place, and places the assembled slats and cleats in a position to receive pressure, and then removes the table. Successive assemblies are advantageously stacked for pressure and finally the pressure is applied so that all are pressed tightly together during a period of drying. If it should not be desired to secure the parts by gluing, any other suitable means of connection may be employed, such as by stapling or nailing or stitching.

While it is herein contemplated that the table shall be manually moved, it is apparent that this could be done mechanically. It is also understood that mechanical means might be employed for assembling the cleats on the slats to operate coincident with travel of the table, but this is not a material part of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. In combination, a horizontal guideway, a hopper supporting frame overlying the guideway and pivotally attached at one end to the guideway to permit the opposite end to be lifted from the plane of the guideway, a hopper mounted on the movable end of the frame with its lower end transversely overlying the guideway; said hopper being designed for the support of a stack of slats therein and having a lateral outlet at its lower end, an assembly table mounted for travel along the guideway and adapted to pass beneath the hopper, extractor studs arranged on the table whereby slats will be successively extracted from the hopper outlet and deposited on the table in alinement against said studs; said hopper frame having lifting members against which the table top engages as the table is advanced beneath the hopper, thereby to lift the hopper to a definite spacing relative to the table top.

2. A device as in claim 1 wherein adjustable .means is provided for supporting the swinging end of the hopper supporting frame at a definite spacing above the guideway.

3. A device as in claim 1 wherein said lifting members comprise rollers that are mounted on the hopper supporting frame in position for rolling contact with the table top surface, and where-' in there are rollers on the guideway for the support of the table as it travels beneath the hopper.

4. In combination, a horizontal guideway comprising spaced apart, parallel rails, a hopper frame horizontally overlying the guideway and having pivotal connection at one end therewith whereby the opposite end is permitted to swing upwardly from the guideway, a hopper mounted upon the swinging end of the frame for the support of a stack of slats therein with the slats transversely of the guideway; said hopper having a lateral outlet at its lower end from which slats may be extracted one at a time, a horizontal table movable along the guideway and adapted to pass beneath the hopper frame and hopper, rollers on the hopper frame to be engaged by the table top to lift the hopper into definite spacing relative to the table top as it passes beneath the hopper, rollers on the frame for the support of the table in passing beneath the hopper, extractor studs on the table top arranged to engage and extract the slats successively from the hopper through the said lateral opening and to deposit them on the table top in definite spacing as provided for by the spacing of the extractor studs, and yieldable fingers fixed to the hopper frame to press downwardly on the slats as they are extracted through the lateral opening, thereby to position them against the extractor studs.

5. In combination, a guideway, a vertically movable hopper for containing a stack of slats supported above the guideway, an assembly table mounted on the guideway for travel therealong and adapted to be passed beneath the hopper and to lift the latter to a definite spacing relative to the table top, extractor means arranged in spaced relation lengthwise of the table and projecting upwardly from the top surface thereof and adapted to successively engage and extract slats from the lower end of thestack and to deposit the extracted slats on the table in spaced relation according to the spacing of the extactor means, fingers fixed to the hopper to bear yieldingly downward on the slats as they are extracted, and a cleat alining bar fixed across one end of the table top and against which bar cleats may be engaged to bring their ends into alinement and in definite spacing relative to the edge of the positioned slats; said bar having notched out shoulders at its opposite ends adapted to receive the ends of the cleats therein when placed across the slat ends. thereby to accurately space the cleats and bring them into alinement.

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